The Island
by bobithish
Summary: Drew is an average guy. He works in the IT field. His life will be bland and consist of video games and helping old people find the power button when no one else will. That is, until one day when a pop up ad changes his life forever.
1. Fun in the basement

If I had to honestly tell someone how my life is: I'd say it's pretty damn good. Other people probably look at me and think I'm wasting my life, but I don't think so. A job in the IT field that lets me work from home—most of the time—isn't that bad of a job at all. I got the job right after graduating from college. And it's an easy enough job, especially because of the place I work at. My company's owner doesn't understand much about technology, so he hired an astronomical amount of IT technicians compared to the amount of the other workers. But, hell, I don't mind at all. It hasn't caused the company to go under, yet, plus the work is incredibly easy now. In fact, I work about two hours a day. For the fourteen hours of my day not spent working or sleeping, I play games.

How many games do I play? Well, most of them: Faster than Light, Titan Quest, Risk of Rain, Spelunky, Deus Ex, etc. I mainly play on my computer, now. Back in the day, my family only had a work computer. So, I had to stick to the Game Boy, SNES, N64, and my Playstation. The first game I really got hooked on was Pokémon, but which one was it? I think it was Red. I don't remember. But, then again, that was a long time ago.

As I stepped out on the concrete of the sidewalk, the wind whipped furiously against the walls of the bus. It's interesting to see how much can be thought about on a five minute bus ride. As the bus drove on again, I began leisurely walking down the path. Going into work today was not my idea, especially since I was only there for half an hour. As a matter of fact, most of that time was spent talking to Karen.

Karen had been one of my closest friends since I began working here two years ago. She was a little bit shorter than me, with light brown hair and emerald eyes. I guess she was beautiful, judging by what others said. Some of the other guys went on and on about how she's completely into me, but I never noticed it until they mentioned it to me. But, for some reason, I was never really interested. Everyone tells me it's a waste of my good looks, but I don't mind being single. In fact, I'm perfectly happy as I am.

Eventually, I found myself at my front door. The keys fumbled in my hand as I tried to grasp the correct one. After unlocking the door, it was stuck. The frame of the door was slightly too small, making it incredibly hard to open and close from time to time. One slam of my shoulder into the door always seemed to do the trick. My actual house looked like someone normal lived here. There was a good balance of light seeping in from the windows. My kitchen was fit for a family of five people, even containing a middle countertop. I placed my coat on a hanger and walked to the refrigerator. Upon opening, I thought to myself about what I could eat. Eventually, I decided on spaghetti.

After eating, I put away everything and sat down on my couch. Having a full stomach makes me a sleepy man. As I yawned, I looked around at the paintings on the walls. It's hard to believe any of them were by me. Well, the "me in high school" was a lot different than the "me of today". I used to be artistic: painting, French horn, writing, etc. Over time, those things got away from me. Every once in a while, I'd try painting again, the problem was there was nothing I saw worth painting.

I forced myself to get up and go play something. So I walked downstairs into my basement. It was my sanctuary in a way or two. All of my games were down here. The walls were lined with posters of most of the games from my childhood. I powered on my PC and began playing some games. But the weirdest thing possible happened. Rather than it just normally booting up like usual, as soon as the main screen came up, a pop-up ad appeared. I hadn't downloading been downloading any illegal stuff since I got my first citation almost three years ago, nor do I look at inappropriate videos anymore. How in the hell did I get a virus. "All right," I told myself, "I don't have a virus. I'm only overreacting. Maybe the web browser in steam had a glitch." I moved the cursor over to the red X in the corner and pressed it. Nothing happened. That's weird. I pressed the "alt, F4" combination and still nothing happened. I opened up the task manager, and tried to end the process. There was no process there. What the hell?

I began to read the advertisement:

HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO GO TO A WHOLE NEW WORLD?

IF SO, PRESS THE BUTTON BELOW. IT'S FREE!

Below the words was a large, blue button. I'm not pressing that button. I'll just try shutting off my computer. But no matter how hard I pressed the power button, the PC stayed on. How can my power button be broken? I looked back at the screen to see the cursor moving towards the button. I looked at the mouse, and my hand was nowhere near it. I tried to move the cursor away from it, but the mouse seemed to be broken. The computer made the distinct sound of the mouse being clicked. The button pressed down, but nothing happened, at least, not at first.

But then, sparks began flying out of my computer. I began to move towards to see what was happening, but something began pushing me towards the now dark screen. Closer and closer I came, but I never came into contact. Eventually, I was floating in a void: a dark, vast, and empty abyss. I could see the dim lighting of my room in the shape of my rectangular screen slowly becoming smaller. Soon enough, it was out of sight. But, looking down, I saw another rectangle of light. What's going on?

It came closer and closer until I slid right through it. My body was greeted by plush clouds, which I cut through like a knife. Screams spew out of my lungs as I realized I was falling from the sky. Far below me was an island. Where the hell am I? What the fuck is going on?! As I fell farther and farther, my vision began to darken. Why was I dying? Why did this happen to me?

I could still feel everything around me, although I couldn't see. I kept waiting for the crushing impact, but it never came. Instead, just constant darkness. Wait. I think I can feel something touching me. What was it? Maybe I landed in the water, and the sharks are eating me. Oh joy, this is just great. Wait, I hear something. Sounds like a voice. Almost panicky.


	2. Island Life

When I woke up from my half-conscious slumber, the sunlight was peering at me through the small gaps left by the large leaves hanging over me. I jumped upwards to my feet. What's going on? Last I remember was falling out of the sky. Where am I? Shouldn't I be dead? I looked around; there was some foliage, but not much due to the lack of direct sunlight under the cover of the trees. My stomach slowly grumbled. I had just ate, why should I be hungry? I looked down and my stomach and put my hands on it, which made me realize I had bruises on my arms. What was that from?

"I'm sorry, I tried to catch you as best as I could." said a feminine voice.

I turned around. There was a being, very close to my height. It was three different colors: an off-white, red, and orange. What was she? Then I looked at her face. Her eyes were blue. Then, her beak curled into a nice smile. She was a Blaziken. It took my mind a few moments to register this, and then I jumped backwards and hit something really hard. It knocked me out.

* * *

The bright orange sun rose from the darkness of the vast ocean to greet the island with its warm rays of sunlight. "What a gorgeous sunrise." I said quietly to myself, not daring to speak so loud as to wake anyone else up. Nobody got up as early as I did, mainly because they weren't as energetic as me. Today's going to be just like any other. Nothing really goes on here. I leaned back on the enormous leaves and rested my head for a few moments. Life was good.

"Hey! Blair!" Someone shouted from the shore. I leaned back up and peered towards the voice. It was Dante. He wasn't exactly as considerate as I was. "Why don't you come for a swim? Or are you afraid you'll lose again, like you always do?" I could hear the laughter being suppressed from here. Just because I'm a Blaziken and he's a Lombre doesn't mean he's going to beat me. I overcame my fear of water at a young age. Ironically enough, it was because of Dante that I did. I stood back up and yelled, "Oh, you're so on!" And I jumped off the tree and raced after him into the water.

The water isn't too cold here. Actually, it's almost the perfect temperature all the time. Plus, the sunlight helps keep everything nice and bright around here. It's fortunate I was born on this Island. But, then again, I don't know of any other place I could have been born. Although I do hear from some of the Wailord that there are many other lands and it makes me wonder about the Pokémon that live there.

After swimming for almost an hour, I went back into the forest. Eventually, my house was visible through the foliage. It was very basic. In fact, it was no more than a small tree that had all of its leaves growing in such a way that I could live under them with ease. There is a small table I fashioned out of sticks and a bed made out of dried grass. Maybe not the most hygiene living, but it's perfect for me. I tend to swim and wash myself off quite often, anyways. There was also a large log that found its place in front of my little shanty, and I decided to use it as my seat most of the time. I walked on over to it, sat down, closed my eyes, and tilted my head to the sky, which was mostly hidden by the leaves above me.

This quarter of the island was covered in jungle forest. I think I am the only one that actually lives in the jungle, and not on the shoreline in a teepee like the others. There are three other parts of the island: the plains, the water-area (And by that, I mean there is everything pertaining to water. For example, there are multiple waterfalls, hot springs, geysers, and rivers spread throughout It.), and the volcano. Well, the volcano is separated by a large portion of water, so it doesn't even qualify as part of the island. I often go over to the Plains to go talk to the Pokemon that live there. They often know about news before everyone else, and nobody knows why. Apparently, the information just throws itself at them before anyone else. So, if I hear an interesting rumor, I'll go verify it with them.

My thought process was interrupted by a harsh screaming, which was also accompanied by the occasional obscenity. I jumped right to my feet and try to find the origin of the scream. It was coming from far above me. I leaped on top of a tree and began looking around. There was a tiny speck falling out of the blue sky. What was it? Well, it was obvious where the screaming came from at this point. I calculated the falling speed and prepared to jump and catch whoever it was. Eventually, the creature was within range and I rocketed towards it with a powerful bound.

Despite my best efforts, the impact of the fall hurt the both of us. I'm not very used to falling that far and carrying an extra 180-something pounds. My legs only hurt a bit, so I focused on the being. Its arms were bruised, but, other than that, it looked fine. Wait, what the hell was this? I pushed that thought to the back of my mind and began hauling (what appeared to be) him back to my place. Actually, he seemed to be around 230 pounds now. I started to freak out, worrying that I wouldn't be able to make it. This was going to be a long walk.

Soon enough, he was fast asleep in my bed. Thank god. I never want to carry him again, that was absolute torture, despite my physical prowess. After placing him down, I could finally get a good look at him. He looked to be about my height, probably taller. He had a slightly muscular build. His hair was a light brown and was sort of long. He looked kind of cute—for whatever he was. At that point my stomach growled, so I figured I would go and gather some berries and what not. I grabbed my small bag made of woven leaves and brought it with me.

It didn't take long to fill the bag. This island was blessed with all kinds of fruits and berries, but I tended to grab the Pecha berries, Rawst berries, and Oran berries the most, along with a couple of devil fruits. Every once in a while, one of the local Pokémon would have a spare apple or two and give them to me. There are apple trees over in the plains, but I don't just head over there to get apples, so I don't eat them very often. I started back on my path home. I've walked these trails countless times, and as a result they are easily seen. Once I got back to it, I saw him standing up in the middle of my yard, looking around cautiously. Then, he started examining the bruises lining his arms. Feeling responsible for them, I approached him and said, "I'm sorry, I tried to catch you as best as I could."

I gave him a friendly smile. He stared at me for a few seconds, his brown eyes filled with thought, before he skipped backwards into a tree. The impact knocked him out. So, at least I wasn't the only one that thought this situation to be all weird.


	3. The Last of Them All

Hello world! Anyways, time to establish some things. Yes, I will start putting these anecdotes in the front of the story just to tell the reader (that's you!) some things. Okay, since my previous system won't work, line breaks separate everything from time change to POV change. As always, reviews are welcome. And please, if you have something to say, go ahead and say it. But say it constructively (such as what you liked, what needed improvement, etc.) and not harshly (YOUR STORY SUCKED, GRAH, PUBERTY, etc.). Thank you for your time.

* * *

Well, I moved him back to the bed. Perhaps he won't freak out next time he comes to like last time. Still, what is he? I'd never seen anything like him. While pondering what in the world he could be, I began slowly pacing on my log from end to end. A better question would be what he was doing way up in the sky. By the looks of him, there was no possible way of flight—plus, the way he reacted to falling told me it wasn't an everyday experience for him.

* * *

I felt my sub-conscious melting away and my awareness returning to me. I slowly opened my eyes and leaned forward. Once again, I was under a small structure of leaves, the same one as before. However, there was a makeshift-bed made out of some dried grasses. I don't remember it being there before, but my mind was a bit out of whack when I first woke up. Okay, time to organize my mind. So I got home from work. Made myself some food then proceeded to sit on the couch. Afterwards, I went to my basement to play something. But, my computer was freaking out due to a pop-up. Said pop-up forced the cursor to press it. I'm in a different world now? God, I don't understand anything that's going on. I got over this kind of shit once I turned sixteen, so having this kind of dream is completely out of the question.

Eventually, my mind was about to calm down. I crossed my legs and looked around. Then, I saw the creature again. She was still a Blaziken. She still freaked me out a bit, but the shock wasn't as great this time around. Thank God. She was sitting on a log that cut across the stretch of grass—with head resting on her gray hands, elbows on her knees, and her blue eyes fixated on me. She looked as though she had been sitting there a while. I slowly turned to face her, feeling relatively self-conscious because I have a tendency to mutter to myself whilst thinking. After locking eyes with her for a few seconds, we both shied away from each other's gaze. After sitting for a few more seconds, I stood and walked towards her and offered my hand, saying, "I'm Drew."

The Blaziken looked at my hand curiously for a few moments before reaching towards it with her own. She extended the wrong hand, so I pointed the other arm. She eventually figured it out and shook my hand, responding, "I'm Blair."

It's still hard to comprehend the fact that Blair could talk, being a Blaziken. I may not be able to remember much about Pokémon, but I do know one thing for sure: they can't talk. Well, at least I didn't think so. It makes me wonder if I fell down the stairs in my house and I'm just in a coma, having this weird-ass dream. Probably not, pain can't be felt in dreams. So, I put all these thoughts and got on with the conversation.

"So, uh, where am I? I know this probably sounds stupid, but I have no idea." I asked her.

She thought for a few moments, then replied, "Well, no one ever named this place, but, as far as can tell, this is an Island. Oh, that wasn't meant to sound so sarcastic. Sorry."

"It's all right. So, are there any humans around?"

"Humans? Humans have been gone for hundreds of years. Hell, nobody can even remember what they looked like."

"Wait, what?! What do you mean by 'gone'?"

"They just disappeared one day. No one knows what happened, not even Ate."

"Who in the hell is Ate?!"

"He's the oldest Alakazam currently alive. Not even he knows much about the humans."

At that point, I crouched down, trembling with anxiety and fear. Was I really the only human alive? What the hell happened? What's going on! The same question that I put to rest from earlier came back into my mind and began loitering in my thoughts. I could feel myself whispering questions under my breath. I felt a nudge on my shoulder. Then another.

"Don't worry, besides why would you need them all of the sudden. They've never truly existed to you anyways."

That last thing she said hit me like a train. Did she even know that I was human? Wait. Wait, wait, and wait. She didn't know that I was. In fact, she had no idea. Plus, I wasn't, in my own way. 'They've never truly existed to me' still applied to me. I never had any close friends. My parents and I acknowledged each other as family and that was it. I stopped trembling. I stood back up, and confidently said:

"Well, it seems that I will need a place to stay for a while. Plus, I kind of like your little dwelling here. Mind if I room with you, just for a while?"


	4. The First Among Them

So, I had a new home for the time being. She agreed to let me live with her, on one condition: I had to help her (whatever that meant). I am starting to wonder when I'll wake up less and less. Everything around me seems so far-fetched (no pun intended), but it all seems so real at the same time. Eventually, Blair's voice would break my train of thought, "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I guess."

* * *

Blair introduced to all of the other Pokémon. Most of them reacted to me as though I were a monster—fear of the unknown. I guess I couldn't blame them, for I was afraid of her when we first met. Only a minute amount of them weren't afraid of me.

One of them was Ate; he was more intrigued than anything. While he was simply meditating, with his legs pulled underneath of him, he looked small—almost weak, in a way—but once he stands up, he had the appearance of a powerful deity. It seemed to me that if he was one of the few beings able to call forth the fires of the volcanoes, the stones in the valleys, the winds of the skies, and the lightning of the storms to rain upon his enemies without even needing to raise one of his powerful arms. However, it seemed ironic in a way or two—ironic that a creature so noble and powerful would be given such a carefree attitude towards most things.

Ate simply meditated in his little cave most of the time, but whenever he had a visitor, he sprang up and began acting like a child. He jumped throughout his damp little cave and happily laughed. According to Blair, he was one of the protectors of the island. Way before Blair was in existence, he had stopped a colossal meteor from crashing into the island, ending everything that would be here today. Yet, his personality has failed to become hardened as a result.

Dante—who was a Lombre—was another one that didn't seem too afraid. In fact, he seemed happy enough meeting somebody new. He was a lot like one of my friends from work, who was also friends with everybody. And just like him, Dante had a benevolent and out-going personality towards everything. If I didn't have Blair's foot up my ass at the moment, I definitely would have enjoyed going for a swim with him. Maybe even Blair, too.

Eloise was the only other one that wasn't afraid, which is because she was much more worried about the bruising on my arms—which had become worse as the day progressed. She was much calmer than Ate and Dante, but she was about twice as caring. She was a Blissey, which would explain her enthusiasm towards healing others, but I think she had an incredible attitude for helping—even for a Blissey. One could easily see the determination in her eyes as she was dressing my wounds. I'd never seen anything like it.

Then, Blair decided to take me on a tour of the island—well, half of it at least. Along the way, she introduced me to a few more Pokémon here and there, but most of the time we just talked. It was just small talk. As in, it didn't branch too far away from: how the weather was, how nice the sky looked, what was life like, etc. Our walk didn't last long. The sun set approached rapidly, changing the sea to a brilliant mix of bright orange and deep blue. It was time to head back to her encampment in the jungle.

It's interesting to see how dark it gets, and how long it can take. Blair and I were shrouded with darkness in a matter of minutes, it became hard to see. I reached for my pocket, hoping to have a lighter. Of course, there wasn't one to be found. I used to carry one around in case I needed it for anything, but I didn't go anywhere anymore, so the habit died away. I guess we would be sitting in the dark. Almost instantly, I about tripped over Blair as result of her stopping in her tracks. Suddenly, the jungle tree lit up with an orange glow. She had light a fire, using her power. I realized that things wouldn't be half bad.


	5. Crisis

After tying the last wooden sticks together, I had finished it. It was a simple square-shaped structure, somewhat resembling a house, but it was a hell of a lot better than what Blair had to live in before. She was down on the beach earlier, so I should go get her. I haven't told her about it yet, mainly because I wanted it to be a surprise gift. She deserved it; after all, she was the reason I had a (well, something like a) roof over my head. How long had I been here? A week? Maybe two? Well, I could tell it had been a little while, at least. My skin color had changed from its traditional white to a lighter orange. I, in fact, wouldn't have noticed if Blair hadn't told me.

Now that I think about it, my life has improved ten-fold since I came here. No longer is it centered on futile matters such as the release date of a new game, but it is focused more on the sociability of the Pokémon around me and helping them. It makes me feel good in a way or two. Eventually, the beach did come into site, and I saw Blair hanging out with Dante. I walked up to the two nonchalantly.

Dante greeted me, "Lo brave fisherman. Doest though desire require the deepest riches of the ocean?"

"Oh, Ha-ha," I replied, "You're _hilarious_. What are you two up to?"

"Me? Same as always. Chilling on the beach."

"Is there anything else you do? Seriously, doesn't the beach get really old after a while?"

He pondered on the idea for a moment, "No, not really. Why?"

"Just curious." I said, "Hey, Blair, do you have a moment."

As though she was awoken from a daze, Blair responded, "Um, yes. Yeah, I do. What is it?"

"Just follow me."

Dante kept nudging her elbow while making sounds that sounded like _Hmm_. She proceeded to scold him almost in a shut-up sort of manner, and then followed me. Once we were fairly close, I told her to let me cover her eyes. She kept asking why, and stating that I had better not try to do anything funny. She practically collapsed when she saw it. She was shocked that I had made it.

"Why would you do this? I don't deserve this. You didn't have to. Seriously, I was fine before. Really." She kept on slurring her words. She did calm down after a few minutes. Then she told me her actual opinion. She had loved it.

* * *

My mid-morning slumber was interrupted by a violent trembling of the earth. I jumped to my feet and looked around. Somehow, Blair was still asleep. What was that? The grounded shook again. I ran over to the nearest tree and climbed to the top. Over in the distance, there was a large mass of smoke rising from the surface. I slid back down the tree and sprinted in the direction of the dark cloud.

A massive fissure had opened in the earth, and parts of the forest had been lit on fire. Many different Pokémon were attempting to subdue the fire, while others stood looking into the earth with their faces portraying pure terror. Small Pokémon, children, were trapped at the bottom. Most of them injured, badly. I could see the agony in their faces from here. My heart began beating ferociously against my chest. I began climbing down the slope of the crevice. I began speeding up too much, my momentum outweighing my control. I dug my hands into the ground, and the gravel pulled at the flesh, slowly tearing it up.

Once I had reached the bottom, my hands throbbed and bled. There were only two at the bottom. One of them was a Kirlia, whose legs were oddly bent and probably broken; the other was a Pidgey with a broken wing. Both of them were almost entirely unconscious. I carefully carried the pair on my shoulders and began painfully crawling back to the top of the cavern. At this point, my hands were covered with blood and dirt. I kept watching the edge, seeing the concerned faces of Pokémon peering over to see every gruesome moment of the climb. They began to lower a jungle rope over the edge and down to me, which I happily accepted. I pulled myself closer and closer to the top. Once I was within their range, they each grabbed us and pulled us onto the flat ground. My vision faded slowly into a gray mist as I stared up at the sky, lying on my back.

* * *

Once I had woken back up, I was in my decent little encampment again. Surprisingly, there was no blood to be seen on my hands, but my shorts (which were previously pants) were torn badly, though not entirely because of my little "adventure". I looked more closely at my hands. They were moderately scarred, but they were healed, for the most part.

"Eloise fixed you up good, don't worry." I looked to see that it was Blair, but something was wrong. She never talked so seriously. "Ate wants to see you. He says it's urgent." I sighed quietly to myself, and stood up. And I began walking to his little cave of solitude.

* * *

How's it going so far? By the way, some characters that weren't even introduced by name will come back later. Much, much later. Also, if you were unable to tell, it is quite prominent that Ate urgently requests to see someone. Trust me. Well, what's your opinion of the writing style so far? How about the story? Does my grammar suck to you? I don't mind being told, at least, when I'm told in a relatively intelligent manner.


	6. At Sea

The silence of the cave screamed into my ears with a ferocious intensity. For about an hour, Ate had been sitting in front of me, not producing any sound except for his deep, staggered breathing. His eyelids were shut tightly enough that his pupils could be seen moving underneath them. Although nothing was said, the aura in the air told me more than enough. Something was wrong, and it had to do with me. What had I done? I only came here—not by choice—and I haven't don't anything wrong. Why would this have to do with me? Besides, I save those young Pokémon. What could have possibly happened to do with me?

Outside, it began to rain lightly. The trickling of the rain water on the ground could be heard from in the cave. It seemed to break a small portion of the stillness, granting me pardon from my stress. Slowly the rain picked up, and the gloomy sky began to emanate thunder that shook the island and lightning that gave the cave a split-second of lighting. I refocused on Ate. The muscles in his face twitched ever so slightly. Then, as if planned, he stood up in union with the flash of lightning and was followed by booming thunder.

* * *

Quietly, I sat in the little dwelling that Drew had made for me. Although it was raining outside, there was no leakage in the roof. He's a good builder. I'm glad he came along when he did. I really wonder what was going on with him and Ate. Perhaps he just needed help from Drew. Yeah, that sounds about right. In fact, he'll probably be back very soon. I just need to distract myself for a little bit, that's all.

Soon enough, it was completely dark outside—from the transition to night, not the stormy weather. The rain was still as constant as it was earlier. That's probably why he hasn't made it back yet. It would only make sense—I mean, he doesn't know the island as well as I, so he doesn't know his way around at night. He's just crashing over at Ate's cave for the night, he'll be back in the morning.

* * *

I lazily woke up. The sunlight was bright today, almost too bright. It felt good. I crawled outside and stretched a bit. Then, suddenly, I realized that Drew still wasn't back. Ah, he probably just went straight to beach—or something. It's no big deal. In fact, maybe it's time for me to go join him. And with that, the beach was my next destination.

However, when I got to the beach he wasn't swimming—well, not exactly. He was a little ways out from the island on something. What was he doing? I tried looking more carefully and saw what it was—a raft. It looked well constructed. Wait, why was he out there? His home is here, now. At least I thought it was. What was he doing?

I yelled after him, "Drew! What are you doing?!"

"It's a bit too long to yell it to you!" His voice distant and barely audible.

"Just tell me!"

"Good-bye!"

Those words kind of hurt me. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I'm the closest to him. I've never been able to relate to the others on this island as well as I have him. But, this is my home. I can't just leave. I'd be leaving that little abode he made me, and I'd be leaving my forest, too. My mind split into two halves—each side screaming at the other with furious reasoning. My judgment became clouded, and I slowly sat on that beach. Watching Drew become smaller and smaller.

"Just go with him already."

* * *

The salty ocean air was warm, and it felt nice on my skin. I slowly paddle the raft with my large stick, continuously. I wasn't sure where to go. Ate told me I had to leave and go find Ura. That's all he told me. He said that if I didn't, bad things were sure to keep happening. These are the moments that I question the existence of a God. I am sent into a different world without rhyme or reason. Then, I find myself to be more at home in that place than I ever have been, and I have to leave. Everything seems to go against me. A tear almost formed in my eye, but I held it back. There was not a single reason in the world I should have so much self pity. Right now, I need to focus on the task at hand.

So, Ate told me I would find him where energy seemed the most present. Well, what does that mean? I can't sense energy, nor will I ever be able to. Maybe energy has effects on the things around it. Wait, maybe energy meant nature. Would that make sense? I wish he would have let me ask more questions. I'm too damn tired to be thinking this much. I leaned backwards, stretching my back.

All of the sudden, I heard a distance splashing. That was common, though. It's just a Magikarp or two. They seem to do that quite often, considering I'd heard it a lot earlier. However, this splashing wasn't stopping. It seemed to be getting louder and louder. So, I began looking around to see where its source was. In the distance, there was Blair.

"Hey! Come and help me out here!"

I was a bit stunned, why was she out here? Hell, how did she swim that far?! I stripped down to my underwear and dove into the water. I heaved and hauled to get her onto the wooden platform. As I crawled on, she lied on her back, panting heavily. She was completely exhausted. Hell, so would I if I had swum that far. Her eyes were closed for a short while. Then, she opened them up again and locked eyes with me, uttering something that sounded like a thanks.

Her eyes drifted down and grew very wide. I looked down and saw what gave her that expression. At that moment, I was completely naked, having lost my drawers in helping her. My face flushed as my hands instinctively moved to protect my genitals from her gaze. She looked away, off into the distance, and her eyes retained their state. I jumped backwards into the water. Turning myself, I resting my elbows on the raft.

"So…" She began.

"Shut up, it fell off!"


	7. Adrift

This ocean seems like an endless void, bursting at the seams with life. Fish-like Pokémon puncture the serene surface of the water every so often, almost periodically and in rhythm with the world around it. It's been two days since my departure. Well, I should say OUR departure. I still don't understand fully why Blair came with me. She seemed so happy on the island. Didn't she have friends? What about Dante? They got along so well—apparently since a young age, too. Why would she just be willing to leave her friend like that? I would ask her why, but I'm not that confrontational.

I placed the wooden paddle down and took a break from propelling the raft. My arms pulsated in agony—the only proper punishment for two straight days of intense work. I guess I could have asked Blair to help me, but that wouldn't feel right for me. Actually, she offered to take over more than a dozen times, now that I think about it. But, each time I would just politely reject her offer. Sometimes, my pride is a real pain in the ass. It doesn't matter that much.

The water was surprisingly clear; the bottom wasn't more than twenty feet away. The schools of fish were vibrant and swam around with vigor. I dangled one of my arms into the water, feeling the coolness against my skin. It reminded me of the olden days. Back when I would spend most of my summer breaks at the community pool, chatting up the girls. That was such a waste of time.

* * *

My relationship with women as a whole has always been sour. When I was younger, I refused to admit that. However, as I got older, I began to care less and less. The same thing would happen each time I tried my luck with a girl. She would either lead me on cruelly, or just crush me right then and there. It was basically the story of my life. Back then, it would cut me very deep. I still vividly remember those dark nights: alone in my dark room, sitting on my bed completely nude, and crying out of self pity. Tears were shed quite often, but they never lost their meaning: sadness. That was a dark time in my life, but I am the only one that knows about it. My parents never seemed to notice anything that happened—completely oblivious to everything in my world. They weren't the only ones. Even my best friends were absolutely unaware of everything. I refused to tell them. On the outside, I wasn't myself—I was something better.

Around the time that all began, my personality split into two different people. There was the actual me—sad, alone, and weak. However, the other was the polar opposite—strong, self-righteous, and belligerent. I remember the day that 'he' appeared. I was hanging out after school, as always, when Justin Peck walked up to me. Now, believe me, he was massive. He said he needed gas money. I told him that, as usual, I didn't have any money. His beady little eyes began sizing me up. After a few small steps, he was leaning over me, which was very intimidating, might I add. His voice was deep, clear. "Hey, faggot. Give me the damn money, before I take it." Fear struck into my inner core, shaking every part of me. My blood pressure heightened, and my hands began trembling. "Well?"

"How about you back the fuck up, before I break your ugly-ass face." My voice was cold and sharp, like a deadly blade. The words even scared me as they exited my mouth. He backed off slight, and appeared to be taken back by my remark. What compelled me to say that? I never even thought the words. My feet tapped on the ground with a slight thud as I got off of the table. Why did I stand? What's going on? My body won't let me control it.

"What did you just say to me?" His voice was no longer controlled; it seemed to waver like a leaf in the wind. Was he scared? There's no way. He shook his head and repeated himself, "What. Did. You. Say. To. Me." His words were clean, and precise; no longer were they frail and weak.

"Wow, so you can make your voice sound intimidating. That's pretty cute, man. It's about time…" I cracked my knuckles loudly, "…I put you back on your level."

Although his eyes didn't turn red with rage, what did happen was about twice as terrifying. His pupils dilated furiously and then became tiny, almost as though they were focused on me alone. Large veins began to protrude from his temples, and the muscles on his face tensed up angrily. He took gargantuan steps towards me, the noise of them emphasizing his size. On instinct, I turned my left side towards him, spreading my legs and bending my knees slightly. I raised my arms up, in a fighter's stance. As soon as he was upon me, my memory went blank.

The memory picks back up when I see him badly injured, lying on the floor. His left eye was badly bruised, turning purple, and one of his arms appeared broken. I freaked out and ran. I ran all the way to my house. I was terrified. What in the hell happened? And so, I cried. I expected to be expelled from school. Get the shit beaten out of me by my dad. Hell, prison didn't seem that far-fetched at the time. But, something weird happened. And that weird thing was that nothing happened. I waited for a few days, but to no avail. No calls from the school, or his parents. Eventually, I built up the courage to stop pretending I was sick and to go to school.

That day, at lunch, I sat by myself. I normally did. Nothing seemed to be going on. Then, someone sat down next to me. I looked over to see Justin sitting next to me. My heart began speeding up furiously. He had a heavy-duty bandage across his nose, and his eye was still a bit swollen. His shaggy black hair looked tussled. I sat there in silence. The both of us did for a little while.

"My father taught me how to fight about two years ago." Justin began, "He told me to never get too cocky, and to never use my size against anyone smaller than me. He died about a year ago from a tumor in his skull. In one of his last days, he told me his last piece of wisdom. 'Son, I know you're gonna get tough. One day, though, you will meet someone stronger than you. One day, you will lose. And that day, you will have a great friend.' I never believed him, until now. I assumed it was him being insane due the crushing of his brain."

I looked over at him, confused. Then, he stuck out his hand, "Justin, nice to meet you."

"Uh, Drew, and you too." And from that moment on, we had each other's backs until we were separated by God himself.

* * *

"Hey, Blair."

She lazily leaned forward, and replied, "Ugh, yeah?"

"I think that's land in that direction." I pointed off in the distance.

"Is it?!" She jumped into the air to look, but fell into the water. I jumped in and pulled her back aboard. Before I got back on the raft, I made sure I hadn't lost anything. Everything seems to be in order.

"Well, you ready to make landfall?"

"Absolutely!" She stretched backward, pushing her chest outward. Oddly enough, she appears to have a womanly shape to her. Maybe my imagination was just at work.

* * *

As always, reviews are welcome. So, how is it turning out so far? I'm putting out my best effort, so I hope you're enjoying it!


	8. The Endless Night Sky

Getting back on shore was a great relief. Rather than being greeted by moist air of the ocean, a nice, dry wind slithered around my tan arms as I pulled the raft ashore. It's a good thing we didn't travel far. Things could have turned out much worse—our food had just run out that morning. Blair had liked making landfall much more than I did. She showed bliss, and began prancing around the beach happily. It would only make sense, I guess. Fire doesn't tend to do well on water. The way she reacted gave me a weird thought. It came across to me as someone that had returned home. Wasn't her home on that island though? But, then again, some only feel at home when they are elsewhere—the mind of the adventurer. It doesn't seem like too long ago that I was like that. After a few moments of tugging, I was able to pull the raft completely ashore. Just in case we had to go back; I kind of hope that we wouldn't any time soon.

"So, where are we headed, fearless leader?" Blair asked me.

"Well, he hadn't told me very much. He said he felt that I needed to go off the island—to find someone more knowledgeable." I told her nonchalantly.

She was a bit taken back by the remark. "You're supposed to find someone more intelligent than Ate?"

"Well, yeah, I guess. Why?"

She shrugged. "Well, let's get moving." And so, we began heading deeper inland. The landscape here was very relaxing. The hills were minimal and had smooth transitions into the valleys below them. We did see some of the residential Pokémon around here. We didn't chat with them for too long. We did, however, tell them about our goal. They seemed to be amazed that we had to find someone smarter than an Alakazam. Now I understand why Blair was so awestruck by what I told her. They weren't just above average in intelligence; it seems that all the other Pokémon put them up on a pedestal.

* * *

A little bit after we left, it became slowly darker. The night sky was clear and provided some light for minimal sight. I told Blair to go and pick some fruits to eat. I'm getting a little bit tired of eating just fruit. A deliciously cooked burger sounds awesome right about now, but that wouldn't anytime soon. While she collected things to eat, I was to collect wood to burn. Luckily, there was quite a bit of fallen branches lying about. Autonomously picking up the branches caused my mind to drift off course.

How was everyone back home doing? Chances are, I was fired. At this point, debt is probably beginning to build up—taxes, mortgage, etc. What happens when the repo agents come to my house and see that I'm not home? Will they just go on with the reclaiming of my stuff? No, they couldn't. They'd probably be unable to get into my house without a search warrant, or something. The police would be involved at that point. They'd be able to tell the house hadn't been occupied for a month. They'd come to the come to the conclusion that I was a missing person. They'd inform my parents.

People would begin searching for me. Not because they care about me, but mainly so they could find something to do with their pitiful lives. Eventually, the search would die out, and I would be presumed dead. But what happens if I have to go back? Go on national television and explain my story? What would I say? Well, there's nothing to say. I couldn't just wing it. There would need to be absolutely no plot holes in my explanation. That would be hard to accomplish. Maybe I could go back and pretend to be someone else? No, that wouldn't work. They'd be able to look and tell it was me. Maybe I could grow a beard? No, my facial hair seems to be very non-existent. What do I have to do? God, I don't want to go back.

"I don't see it happening anytime soon." Said a voice.

I dropped the branches and leaped away from it. I hear a subtle laughing. Almost playful. From the shadows emerged a figure. I couldn't see very well, but I did notice the weird conic segments of the body, as well as the odd disk-like extrusions from the head.

"How did you know what I was talking about?" I said in an intrigued, but shocked voice.

"You mumble while you think, apparently." The voice was quite feminine and noble, while being slightly playful at the same time. She didn't seem to be belligerent in the slightest.

I began picking up the branches I dropped on the ground a moment earlier. "So, how do you know it won't happen anytime soon?"

She pointed up at the stars, "My kind has a natural talent for these kinds of things."

The stars in the sky were no longer tiny little specks of white like they had been earlier, but they instead shown in the sky vibrantly against the dark depths of space. When she placed her hand back down, they returned to their usual state.

"Well, I need to get back to Blair with this firewood. So, if you'll…" I was cut off by her.

"Oh! Could I join you?" She asked suddenly and without warning.

"Well, uh, let me think about it." As I said that, she looked at me with bright blue eyes in the most begging fashion possible. I slouched forward guiltily and told her she could join me.

After a few moments of walking, I asked her, "So, why didn't you just go back home?"

She stiffened up before responding, "I- I didn't want to."

"Oh? It sounds like you might be lying to me."

"I'm not! Not exactly, I guess."

"Well, you better tell the truth"

"I don't need to."

"Fine by me," I said heartlessly, "Sit out here in the darkness."

When I said that, she opened up and told me everything.

"I'm a Gothitelle, and my name is Astra. About a week ago, I was kicked out of my home. All the others declared that I wasn't proud enough to be part of them. They said I was too happy. I tried changing, I really did. I didn't want to leave. I really didn't want to have to abandon my family, but I was forced to. I've been wandering around uselessly ever since then, and I don't know what to do. They made it quite apparent that I'm not wanted there…"

At that point, Astra began crying. Not loudly, but a subtle weeping. It hit me hard. It reminded me of myself back in high school. So, I did the only natural thing. I hugged her tightly. I felt pity in my very soul. A pity for someone that went through the same thing I had, the only difference being that she didn't have someone to watch her back. Once she was in my arms, she calmed down.

"It's all right. I'm here for you."

On the way back to our little camp, I introduced myself to her and told her my goal. I told her about Blair, the island, Ate, Dante, etc. She seemed to enjoy listening. She decided she'd like to go with us, mainly because she doesn't have much else to do anyways.

* * *

So, a new character appears, eh? By the way, the name Astra actually means star. How about that? As always, please leave reviews. Also, tip your waiters. And, thanks for all the views!


	9. Dark Hearts

The night's mighty grip holds the woods firmly as I go about picking some fruit. I honestly don't like being away from the island. It was nice always having a place to sit, sleep, and to start a fire. In some ways, I regret joining Drew on this… whatever this is. I mean, it's not like I didn't want to go with him, not at all. Nor did I want to leave the island. Actually, maybe I did want to leave it. It was a place to stay, but it never felt like a true home. I can remember the dark mornings, waking up and not knowing where I was. In fact, the thought still chills me to this day.

* * *

The light beating of rain on my face brought me back from the realm of dreams. The glare of the Sun, which hardly broke through the storm in the sky, fell upon my face. It made it hard for me to see. The water dripped down my face, mixing with my tears. Why was I crying? Trying to remember seems to cause a crushing sensation in my chest. What happened? The landscape here doesn't look like my home. My home was a land of fire—not this one of forest.

"Sorry, we love you so much."

I looked around myself, "Who's there? Who are you!?"

"Goodbye, Blair."

"No! Don't leave me!" I extended my arms outward, as though to grab someone. My head pulsated with pain. The muscles in my shoulders tensed, and my back pulled itself apart. The once dark forest was now engulfed with the fire sprouted from my arms, and it swept across the forest relentlessly. Oh no. What have I done? What's wrong with me? Slowly, I fell to the ground. My heart began beating slower as I sunk to the ground in a heap of sadness.

* * *

My head cringed in pain, causing me to drop all of the food. I tenderly placed one of my hands on my forehead as my back rested up against a tree. That stupid nightmare—well, _memory_—keeps haunting me. I must be getting sleepy; it only happens at night, most of the time. I removed my hand from my forehead and went about picking all of the fruit back up. For a while, I forgot about that dream. It's been a couple of weeks since the last time I relived it—actually, ever since Drew showed up on the island. In fact, I remember the reason I left with Drew. I've known my whole life that the island wasn't my actual home. No one ever told me, but it wasn't hard to figure out. I mean, I was the only one of my kind on the island—there are no other fire-type Pokémon on the island. And, after a while, I linked that to my nightmare. My home was somewhere else in the world. I've always wanted to go out and find it. Although I have no recollection of it, it should be easy to tell when I get to it.

Whatever happened to my days of ignorance? Those were the best.

* * *

Talking with Astra is quite fun. She's much more kind-hearted and cheerful than Blair is. Though, I guess I shouldn't even be comparing the two. Something about her is also quite nostalgic. She sort of reminds me of the only girl I like back home. When I was with her, it was the happiest time of my life. But, when she left, I was devastated emotionally for years to come. I shook my head and continued walking and talking with Astra.

Astra told me about mostly everything. She doesn't have that much of an emotional back story, according to her. But, one thing I did notice is her curiosity. She seems capable of going to many measures to discover new things. Maybe that was why she was completely at ease when she talked to me, unlike so many of the other Pokémon. She was the one to approach me, and that could be why I feel so calm talking to her. She's not as brutal as Blair.

Don't get me wrong, I like Blair, but she is very intense. Any type of challenge she comes across, she pushes herself way too far to complete it. In a way, she's kind of reckless. But, at times she can be very caring, too. Wait, what am I even saying? Am I scoping these two girls out? No, I don't need a girlfriend—especially one from another species. It's just not normal, in my sense of thinking. I need to find a way to release all this goddamned sexual pressure before I do something I will regret.

Besides, I can't get close to women anymore. Getting close to a girl means showing her a weakness. And each time a weakness is shown, the girl will attack it. It doesn't matter who they are, they do it anyways. It may not happen at first, but it will. It's an un-avoidable thing. I need to remind myself that these are still women—albeit from a different species altogether. There's no possible way for me to avoid the same outcome. It won't matter what I do, I'll always be the one picking up the shattered pieces of my heart.

* * *

So, what did you think? I tried showing you what's been going through Blair's mind, while shedding some light on Drew's love life (well, it's kind of hard to even call it that). Soon enough, you'll get to see the inside of Astra's head, too. Also, I'm thinking about jumping up from about 1,000-1,300 words a chapter to about 2,000. What do you all think? As always, leave reviews if possible. Thanks for reading!


	10. Foggy Night

EDT: Alright, I guess I will be putting the EDT at the beginning of my little anecdotes that I write. That way, you can rely on more than just the little lines across the screen. Enjoy reading!

* * *

Things appear differently to me than most whenever I look up at the stars. They are much more important than tiny little dots in the sky that provide the night with variable amounts of ambient lighting. Stars have the power to influence everything; however it seems that they choose not to. Simply, they watch over us—like distant deities of the night. They choose to calculate events that will occur; they do so without fault. After they determine the result, they will change their position in order the match the result. For most of us, this change means nothing. But, in reality, it can affect our entire outcome.

Since the beginning of time, my kind has watched these lights in the sky. We have become quite skilled in reading their movements. We've come to realize that whenever a star changes position, it creates a ripple, which causes other stars to move, which will affect something in our world. We seem to know so much about them, but still so little. We cannot determine if the movement of the stars is caused by things changing in our world or if things changing in our world is because of the shifting of the stars. The only thing that we can distinguish to is how to read the changes. Some of us feel as though a ripple is calling us to be somewhere—as though we need to follow it.

That is why I came here. Throughout my time of living, I had seen many ripples. Some of which have foretold great disasters; while others have told of immense fortune. My parents always told me about these ripples and how one may call out to me one day.

"Astra, do you see these stars in the sky?"

"Yes Mom. What's so special about them?"

"One day, one of them will call out to you."

I never understood what she meant until a few years later. She left in the middle of the night: no one even knew she left until the following morning. She went without question, without reason. It made no sense to me at the time. Why would she just walk out on her family like that? It didn't make sense to me. Until the day that I realized what she meant by 'a star will call out to you'. That day was just recently.

After I was exiled from my home I wasn't sure what to do with myself. In fact, I spent the first two days wandering about aimlessly. For the next three days, walking took up most of the day. But, at night, the stars always took my gaze away from everything else. The hours would go by continually and without warning. Eventually, drowsiness would take me and I'd sleep. This repeated night after night. However, on the third night of stargazing, I saw something in the sky. It was just like any other star, but something was odd about it. It tugged at my soul, as though it was calling me by name. When it came into complete focus, something strange happened. Images shot through my mind instantly. I still have trouble deciphering what they meant. They scorched the front of my brain rapidly. I saw an ocean; then a raft on a shore. Was there a steep mountain? I also heard thunder and lightning? What does this all mean?

Within the few moments the vision came, I felt something. It felt odd. It told me there was some place I needed to be, but which way? I looked around. All of the terrain around me looked to be of no significance, but I felt where to go. I began walking towards it, almost autonomously. I wanted to see what could have been so important. However, even if I didn't want to see what it was, I probably couldn't have stopped myself. Maybe this is what my mother went through; maybe she couldn't stop herself from leaving. I remember being so anger at her. I had a deep rage within me for all this time. I wanted her to die. She should have died. What if she did? And it's all because of this stupid ability to read the stars. Tears began flowing down my face. Why did it happen? Why was she forced to go? She was more than my mother, and she was taken away from me. All of these years, the wrath inside of me built up, and only now is it being released.

Eventually, I heard someone talking. I saw a figure in the darkness; it appeared to be bent over. Every few seconds, the sounds of leaves and branches rustling manifested—collecting branches for a fire, I presume. As I got closer, the voice became more distinct. It was the voice of a man—deep and crisp. His voice also sounded quite worried. He seemed to be unknowingly talking to himself. He kept talking about his home. Where was his home? The thought of going back seemed to worry him. Why would going home bother somebody? I'd love to go home, actually.

At that moment, I realized something. I was no longer worried about reaching my destination assigned by the star. Did it just stop mattering to me? No, that couldn't be the case. I was unable to control my legs earlier, there's no way I could just forget about it. Maybe I reached the goal? Wait, if I reached it, where was it? I looked around myself cautiously, but saw nothing of importance. I looked back to the figure. Something in the back of my mind spoke to me. What was it trying to tell me? I listened closely, but nothing could be understood. However, it occurred to me that it only spoke to me when I looked at the figure. Could it be that he is the ripple?

"God, I don't want to go back…" His voice cut through the still air like a thin blade and felt cold. He seemed sad. I can't stand seeing anyone sad. I don't know whether or not this the right thing to do, but he sounds like he needs some reassurance.

"I don't see it happening anytime soon."

* * *

Getting back to the little camp wasn't a major problem. The real problem was explaining the situation to Blair. I introduced Astra to Blair, and the two seemed to be… somewhat spiteful of each other—although I'm not sure why. Then again, their personalities are complete opposites, so it only makes sense. Maybe it's just my imagination at work—besides, I'm exhausted. I found it quite easy to get comfortable, despite not having anything to sleep on besides the ground. By the time we were all going to sleep, the fire was reduced to a small amount of red embers giving the area a slight orange glow. The light wasn't overwhelming, and it gave off the perfect amount of warmth for sleeping.

When I fell asleep, I had a strange dream. I couldn't tell what was going on. I sat up, and looked around my dreamscape. There was a dark mist extending over the most of it; the fog ended about five or six feet from me. There were three mirrors placed in front. They appeared to have been poorly jammed into the ground—they weren't perpendicular with the ground. I stood up and walked closer to them. The first mirror I looked into was the one directly in front of me.

The mirror was slightly slanted backward. The reflection in the mirror was of me. My hair was grown out, reaching slightly past my eyebrows. I still had no facial hair, despite not shaving for weeks. My skin is tanned and rough. My eyes seem different than they were before. When I look into them, there is not as large of a void like before. It appears as though my eyes portray more happiness. I turn my head to the mirror on the left.

As before, it is me. But, something is different. My hair isn't long and free. It is now short, and looks intimidating. The reflection's eyes hold anger, and rage. His mouth is curled into a smile, as though he knows that he holds power over people. His muscles appear tense. It seems as if I can remember this image of myself—from back in high school. Then, I look at the right mirror.

It is another version of me. The reflection doesn't look at me. Rather, it tries its best to avoid my gaze. The hair is far past its eyes, making it nearly impossible to see the eyes anyways. Through the dark, wet mane of hair, I catch a glimpse of an eye. The iris shakes furiously, and doesn't focus well. The hair makes seeing difficult for it, so the eye compensates by moving around swiftly—it tries to catch a glimpse of what is to come.

* * *

My eyes slowly opened to let in the bright sun light from the sky above me. There are very few clouds in the sky to be seen. I look around to see that Blair and Astra are still fast asleep. There fire is now a pile of dark ashes. Air moves steadily along the grass, causing it to waver in the wind. I remember having a dream last night. What was the dream about? I'm not really sure that I can remember. I got up, and stretched. Well, perhaps Astra will be able to help us find the wise one. I sure hope so.

* * *

EDT: The dream was weird to write, but I enjoyed doing so. As always, leave reviews if you can.


	11. Freefall

The truck rattled to life after a few moments of turning the key forcefully. This truck is the same one I had in high school. It still works, for the most part; I was one of the few to be given a brand new vehicle during my senior year. That was a long time ago. In fact, I haven't seen my old friend in so long. I put the vehicle into gear and began to drive back home. Well, what I call my home.

To most other people, my house is a cheap one. It only makes sense, one bedroom houses aren't the most expensive things in the world. I don't give a damn. There is no reason for me to own a bigger house. Ever since my divorce, things haven't really affected me. I hated that bitch. She got me drunk, and then tricked me into getting her pregnant. Of course, she coaxed me into marrying her. Fuck her. She took everything from me. As soon as we broke up, she took me to court. Of course, I was caught off-guard and had no lawyer. That made things easy for her; she became the domicile parent. Every month, I have to pay child support for the daughter I never see. I wonder if Drew has anything going on.

Speaking of Drew, I haven't seen him in years. I remember how close we were back in high school. Those were the days. It was so fun hanging out with him. I wonder what he's been up to lately. Probably more fun shit than me, that's for sure. I remember the day he transferred out of high school.

He came to school, acted like everything was normal. He told me good morning as usual when I picked him up. Everything seemed perfect. He was all talkative like usual, but he was acting kind of weird for a bit. He would state things philosophically, and had a vaguely stoic attitude—even when he talked to his girlfriend. Towards the end of the day, I asked him if he'd like to hang out. He told me he couldn't. I was never given a real reason besides "family". The next day, he didn't show up to school. At that point, I began to worry. He wasn't the type of guy to just skip school. After a bit of contemplation, I brushed off his absence. He was probably sick. However, the next day came, and he still didn't show up to school. The following night, I received an email from him. He said he had moved, as a result of his mother's last wish. He told me to tell his girlfriend good bye. After that, I never heard from him again.

Every so often, I'd try finding him online, but to no avail. He never used those kinds of things. He only played games, nothing more and nothing less. Trying to find him was impossible. He had no family around here, so there was no one that knew of his whereabouts. Nobody knew what happened to him. Everyone just went on as though nothing happened—except me. I had lost my best friend, and he would never be replaced.

* * *

After a few minutes of silently driving along the weary road, I noticed an odd light coming from the trees. There were no residences around here for miles, plus it's a no-hunting area. Why was that light here? Not only that, but it was incredibly bright. I shutdown the truck, and walked towards it. It appeared to be an orb of light. Whatever, I'll just leave before something weird happens.

As I turned around, the feeling in the air changed. It tensed up, and gravity began to shift towards the light. I clawed at the ground to stop myself from being lifted into the air, but I couldn't get a grip. The light sucked me in, and my vision flooded with white. No longer was I suspended in air, but wind was rushing past me. Slowly, the whiteness began to fade and there was a sudden increase in color. A vast expanse of blue was revealed to me. It was gorgeous, watching the round clouds move about the air so peacefully. They rolled silently over the deep blue ocean, casting large shadows upon it. Beneath me was a large island that seemed to be completely isolated. It seemed so small from here. But, slowly it grew larger. Then, I realized I was plummeting towards it. I plunged rapidly towards the earth, as my senses went blank.

* * *

If you haven't figured out who the narrator was this time around, shame on you. Even though I last mentioned him in chapter 7, it's quite easy. He's the only human in the story that has some importance besides Drew.


	12. A Change in Time

My head throbbed in pain as I opened my eyes. I looked around. Where am I? I looked up in the sky. It was a deep and perfect blue, with hardly any clouds to ruin its complexion. The sun was glowing brilliantly in the morning sky. Wait, why was it morning? It should be about seven—I get off of work around six thirty. Nothing seems to be making sense right now. Then, my vision focused on something in the sky. It was fairly small, and its head was shaped like a triangle. What was it? It appeared to be moving further away.

Then I heard a ticking sound. It was very light, but definitely noticeable. I looked around, trying to find its origin. Eventually, I saw where it was emanating from. There was a pocket watch lying on the ground, on top of a piece of paper. I lifted up the watch by its chain. It appeared to be counting backwards, oddly. In fact, it wasn't even a standard watch. It counted from 1 to 60, with intervals of 15, 30, 45, and 60. The single hand turned backwards very slowly, seemingly at 1 rpm; it counted by the minute. Why was it counting down? I reached down a grabbed the sheet of paper.

I read it. "Your wish was granted! You have one hour to find what you're looking for. I would have stuck around to help you, but I had things to attend to. See you later?" What did it mean by that? What wish? I've had plenty! I mean, for example, if my ex-wife had died, that would've been great! Or if I had one hundred million fucking dollars! That would've made my day. I never wished to be... wherever the hell I was. Well, I had wish for something. So, I guess I'll look around—even if this was a dream.

* * *

This landscape seems to be teeming with life. Everything is so vibrant and happy here. Although I haven't seen any of the animals here, I know there are plenty—I can hear them running through the dense woods. As I walked about the forest, I kept trying to remember what I had wished for. How should I know what to look for if I don't even know what it is? Every so often, I would look at the watch. It seemed to change quickly. 48, 33, 26, 12, 4. I only had 4 minutes left. I've been walking around aimlessly, and I haven't found a damn thing. But, something did finally turn up.

I heard a voice, and looked around frantically. Then, I came across the person. He seemed tan, well-built. I couldn't see who it was. But, I started to realize who that person was as I got closer.

"Dr—" I stopped myself, and hid behind a tree. I had seen two other people walking up to him. And I had seen his smile. His actual smile. For once in his life, he was happy. I knew who he was behind closed doors when we were in high school. He was never actually happy. In contrast, I was always happy. I don't to remind him of his past. I lifted up the clock and looked at it. I had my time, and perhaps this is now his. There was less than 30 seconds left. I thought to myself quietly, "I'll miss you, old friend." As it struck zero, the environment around me changed. Eventually, I was back where I originally was.

* * *

I felt my face, it was cold with tears. They weren't tears of sadness, but a result of joy. I didn't make it in this world of mine. My life spiraled out of control. However, Drew's apparently didn't. He seems to have found actual happiness. Nothing has gone wrong for him. I was kind of jealous, but, at the same time, I was proud of Drew. He had changed for the better. He was able to make it in his world.

Legs shaking, I stood up. In my right hand, I felt something cold. It was the watch—still stuck at zero. That wasn't a dream. It actually happened. I slipped it into my shirt pocket, and turned back to my truck. As I got in, I thought about what had happened to Drew. If he was able to change, maybe I could. I might as well, I'm not going anywhere as it is. I started the vehicle, and began to drive home.

* * *

EDT: How was it? Good? I hope so! Anyways, as always, leave reviews. Tell me something, I don't mind. This was a weird two chapters, but there was a reason behind them. I hope you figured that out. Basically, Justin Peck was a story device used to illustrate the change in Drew from his original self to his current state of mind.


	13. Cold Mountains

Life changes at an alarming rate. Most people brush it off and act like nothing has happened. It's always been interesting to see how most of us are afraid of change and the unknown, yet every day is different than the last. I remember my days in college, back when I blew most things off. They didn't matter at the time. "I'll get to it later." When later would come, I would quietly wonder to myself where 'now' had gone. I used to always explore the idea of alternate world to go to. In fact, I had never cared whether or not the world was better than my own—I only wanted to see something different than what was already here. Anyone that I told my idea to always brought up the fact that I would miss my friends. But, the truth is, I wouldn't miss anything about this world. As I got older, my imaginative mind shut down. I had too much work to tend to: taxes, bills, mortgage, etc. Everything I had ever found interesting slowly slipped away from my mind.

I took a deep breath as I placed my hands behind my head. The grass felt incredibly relaxing underneath my back. Astra and Blair were off doing their own thing. We did this every so often, stopping to relax. We seem to travel non-stop. It's been more than enough of a challenge to locate this "wise being". But, no matter how much energy we expend in search of the being, we come no closer to finding him. It's as though all of this was useless.

* * *

I've been getting to know Astra better. She's a lot like me. Her voice is relatively soft, and she is never overly aggressive about anything. In general she is much more laid back than Blair. I don't think I've ever got into anything past a minor dispute. We talk to each other often—about most things, too. Some days we will talk about the environment around us. But, most of the time, we talk about the stars. That really seemed to make her happy. It only makes sense—her kind are the only ones to express interest in the night sky, and she was exiled from them, so she hasn't been able to talk to anyone like she had before.

One day, however, we got some kind of help. We were talking to the locals (as we always do), when someone had a light idea of what we were talking about. He was a Ninetales, and he had heard of an incredibly smart being in his travels. Most of the Pokemon around him had no clue what he was talking about. He pointed us in it's general direction (apparently north). He told us to that he was over a large obstacle—a mountain range. I squinted my eyes and peered into the distance, and sure enough, there was a rocky formation. We gathered up all of our stuff and began moving towards our destination.

* * *

"So, how have you girls been?" I asked Blair and Astra.

"I've been pretty good." Astra replied.

Blair said, "Same as always, just getting bored of walking towards this freaking mountain."

"I don't blame you."

Astra chimed in, "Don't worry! All of this traveling is finally going to pay off!"

At the thought, I drew a blank. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about the traveling being over. What will happen when I do talk to him? Will I go home? God, I hope not. That would be quite the disappointment. The mere thought depresses me. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind and moved onward towards the mountains, not sure what lies on the other side.

* * *

Soon enough, we were at its base. The bright green of the plants had turned to a more dull gray. The overall air temperature had lowered quite a bit—at least twenty degrees colder; it only got colder as we approached the mountain. I looked back to the sun. It was almost setting, so we started a fire and huddled around it. The air temperature was dropping rapidly.

"Well, at least we have a nice fire. Plus, the temperature should help keep our fruits preserved." I told the others.

"You're probably right, but still, I don't necessarily like this weather." Astra responded.

Blair spoke to us sleepily, "Neither do I."

I looked up at the sky wearily. It was a vast sea of dark clouds. "I agree, if this overcast doesn't pass, there will be a lot of trouble trying to get over this mountain."

"What makes you say that?" Astra looked at me curiously.

I responded statistically, "Well, if it goes on into the day tomorrow, the temperature will not rise at all. Plus, it will get colder as we proceed up the mountain. Also, the higher parts of the mountain..." I pointed to the area I was referring to, "... will be completely covered in snow. More like a blizzard, due to the intense winds at those heights."

"Oh, I see."

"So, we all better get enough sleep to be able to head over the mountain tomorrow. Goodnight girls."

"Good night, Drew."

Blair grunted in response, as she was already half-asleep. Before I lied in bed, I took one more look at the mountain. It was large, intimidating, and seemingly impassible. Tomorrow would be a long day.

* * *

EDT: As always, leave reviews! That will be all. Thank you.


	14. Snowy Paths

The morning air was exponentially colder than it was last night. The fire was a simple pile of dark ashes and the sky had lost its energetic hue of blue. Instead, it wore a dark shroud of grey clouds. High in the air, the winds tore against each other, creating a constant sound of movement. It made me feel unsettled. The slightest breeze against my skin shook me to my core. I wasn't sure whether or not it was because of the bitter wind, or because of fear itself. All these thoughts left my mind when I realized something: both Blair and Astra were lying next to me. As in, right next to me. My heart began to beat slightly faster. Oh god, did they just roll over to me during the night? Yes, they must have. Wait, what if they chose to lay this close to me. My heart began to pump even faster. I need to distract myself. It seems impossible to do so; the warmth of their bodies is so intense to me. I need to clear my head. I mean, they're fucking Pokémon. I'm a human! I shouldn't have any thoughts like this. Besides, I think I am overreacting. No person has ever had true feelings for me. It's not like either of them would, right? At that moment, my heart began to repeatedly slam into my rib cage.

I abruptly stood up and began to walk around a bit. Focus on breathing. Deep breaths in through the nose, and out through the mouth. After having calmed down a bit, I began to stretch out my legs and arms. The weather was going to take a turn for the worst; I can feel it in the air. Of all days for a bad storm, why this one? And so, my vision was fixated on that dreary mountain once again.

* * *

Although everyone seemed to be asleep, I couldn't calm myself down. It's not very easy to do so after talking to Drew. He's just so likable. And he's smart, too—smarter than any of the guys from my home. I've been wondering in the back of my mind: why was I led to him? What makes him so significant? Is he going to stop some sort of global disaster? No, there's no way. At least, I don't think there is. What if I was led to him in order for him to court me (or me to court him)? No, that's ridiculous. I shook my head. The stars would never lead me like that for something so trivial. Or, would they? No, no, no. That can't be. But what if it was?

I looked over at him. His shoulders were so broad, and powerful. He had long arms, nicely built. I got up quietly and walked over to him. There was a troubled look on his face. Was he worried about the journey ahead? Or did he always have this face when he slept? I'm not sure; I've never quite looked at him while he was asleep. I moved closer. His arms were both spread apart. It looked so tempting to lie down and rest my head on one of them. I slowly got down next to him, and placed my head on his bicep. He felt so warm; I felt at peace. My mind began to fade as I went into a heavy sleep.

* * *

Darkness easily took me. I wasn't sure how long I was sleeping, but I heard something. I woke up hastily and checked our surroundings. There was nothing around us. Well, it must be my overactive imagination. Ah, I should just go back to sleep. Right as I was going to lie down, I noticed something. Astra was sleeping right next to Drew. That bitch, I've never done that before. It's not like I'd want to, anyways. I thought silently to myself. Well, she looks very comfortable. Maybe I could lie on his other side? No, no. I turned myself around; that isn't normal to do. I peered over my shoulder. It was so tempting to try. After a few more moments of silent debating, I decided to try lying next to him. After that, I fell right asleep. Maybe I should move, so he won't see me in the morning. But, I'm already half-asleep.

* * *

There were not paths to be spoken of on the mountain. We looked around very desperately, but to no avail. I guess we're going to just traverse it without any predetermined path. That seemed to bother the other two more than me. But, something weird is going on with them. I mean, they won't even look me in the face. Maybe that was because of this morning? I don't know, maybe. Whatever, now isn't the time. It's time to focus on getting over this treacherous mountain, which won't be an easy task.

* * *

The mountain seems to be endless. The wind has become more intense as we have gotten higher, decreasing the temperature even faster. Time seems to be moving incredibly fast. We are nowhere near half-way and night is almost upon us. My thought train is interrupted by a sudden yelling. I turn to see Astra about to fall off of a steep ledge. Instinctively, my body reacts. Before I know it, she is in my arms. The look on her face is absolute terror. Once I have her in my arms, she buries her face into my chest. I looked off of the edge; It was quite the drop. She must have quite the fear of heights. I held her and patted the top of her head. She must be quite absorbed in terror at the moment. I told Blair we should set up camp somewhere. As I said that, I felt something cold land on my cheek. I looked up,: it had begun snowing, and it didn't appear to be letting up any time soon. We had to move on, now. At least until we found some form of shelter.

Eventually, we stumbled upon what appeared to be a makeshift house, composed of large logs leaning upon a large rock. There was hardly 5 feet of height at its tallest point; however, it had a back to it and there was enough room for all three of us. Blair had snagged some small pieces of wood on the walk up here, so she was able to make a small fire outside the entrance. Eventually, Astra woke back up. She asked what happened, but when we told her, she sat there quietly. Her face turned to a bright pink hue. In order to get her mind off of the subject, we began talking about different things.

"Drew, how much has your life changed? I mean, I know mine has quite a bit, but I couldn't imagine the amount of difference for you."

I thought about what she just asked me. As of now, I was no longer a silent passerby in the human society back home. No longer was I with any people. I found myself sitting near a fire, with two Pokémon. I've surely come over my prejudice of women, being that two are right in front of me. Everything seems to have changed for me. I don't know how to answer her without sounding like an asshole.

"Yeah, I guess it kind of has."

Despite being cold, miserable, and wet, this wasn't completely bad. After that, I went to bed as I watched the snowflakes silently drift towards the surface of the ground.

* * *

EDT: As always leave reviews. Also, to the viewer that wanted a longer story, I tried to make it longer, but this was as far as I got. Sorry! Anyways, you guys (girls) that like my story, you should tell your friends about it!


	15. Sea of Clouds

EDT: Read that first paragraph while listening to "This May Be the Year" by Mystery Skulls if you want some fucking feelings. DO IT. Slowly.

* * *

My skin was freezing. I couldn't feel anything but the piercing cold. It felt as though every bone in my body was going to break from the temperature. I looked at both Astra and Blair. They appeared to be in a great amount of pain. Blair continued to try breathing fire, but to no avail. We trudged on, despite everything. The snow easily stuck to us, and turned into a frozen layer of ice. My hands suddenly felt numb, and it became hard to flex my fingers. The blood in my hands had begun to freeze. If we didn't get out of the snow soon, none of us were going to make it. I looked to my right. Astra had collapsed. Upon checking the left, I saw Blair struggling to move on as well. She fell to one knee and then fell sideways. My legs began shaking furiously and it became difficult to stand. I found myself on one knee, then on two. It became difficult to see. I lost all of my senses. Everything went to nothing. It feels as though I don't exist.

* * *

"The first Seal." An ominous reached into the furrow of my mind. Who was that? I thought I was dead.

"It's almost in your reach. Don't stop now."

I tilted my head up and saw the silhouette of some being. The sun was sitting behind it, in perfect sync. It spread its wings and produced a large bird-like howl. The light coming from behind it flooded my vision. Everything began to go dark once again.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, everything was white. There was snow everywhere, and the precipitation only seemed to have increased. I pushed myself back up. There was some kind of burning passion within me now. It revitalized me. I felt a new strength. There was a purpose to what we were doing. Though I don't know what it was. It didn't matter. I grabbed both Astra and Blair and threw them over my shoulders. And, once again, I found myself moving up this never-ending mountain.

My muscles screamed with each step. The wind blowing down the mountain cut into my skin like thousands of frozen blades. I wasn't deterred. I continued on. Eventually, I found myself in the actual clouds themselves. Snow was everywhere, flying around aimlessly running into objects. The temperature was drastically colder inside of the clouds. All the hair on my body stood on end. After what seemed like hours of hopeless walking, I see something.

* * *

EDT: At this point, there is another song worth listening to that fits the writing amazingly. It's called Dreamer by OrionMelody. Check it out if you can.

* * *

I'm not sure how I could see it, but there was this incredibly minute amount of light. It bled through the clouds as subtly as possible. It was hardly noticeable to the eye, but I saw it. It gave me hope, and strength. I pushed on. Was this the top of the mountain? I kept moving. And, after a few moments, the evening sky was clear. I placed down Blair and Astra. I looked out from the flat top of the mountain.

The clouds rolled about silently and seemed to be perfectly even. They appeared to be an endless foamy sea. There was absolute peace. Nothing seemed to be wrong with the world. At the top of this mountain, the temperature wasn't too hot, nor was it too cold. I looked into the sunset. I was taken aback by its magnificence. Its golden rays stretched across the incredible cloud. The only thing that seemed to stop it was the iron light reaching from the moon towards the sun. Now that I looked at the two of them, I noticed that the moon was rising in perfect unison with the sun's setting. Everything seemed to be absolutely perfect.

I felt a warm glowing in the palm of my left hand. I lifted my hand to look at it. There was a strange looking white symbol. It appeared to give of a very minute glow. I didn't understand what it meant. When I looked at it, the only thoughts in my mind that appeared were ones of peace and tranquility. Specifically, the image of the calm sea of clouds was the most prominent. Maybe this symbol had some link to that strange dream I had? I'm not sure; I really should talk to the girls. Besides, they need to know about a lot of things besides the symbol on my left hand.

* * *

EDT: Looks like Drew is going to tell them everything about himself. Next chapter is going to be really interesting. By the way, if you didn't listen to the music, that's too bad. I thought it fit perfectly. As always, leave reviews if possible! For those of you that do, thank you. Not many people realize how helpful they can be. Hell, if they simply say, "It was short, but good" That tells the author a lot. Well, it says that we aren't doing TOO badly. But, hey. Whatever floats your boat.


	16. Dwindling Flame

I began to tell Blair and Astra everything that happened to me from top to bottom: my life before I came here, darkness's embrace before I fell from the sky onto the island, the fear and intrigue I felt when I met the inhabitants of this world, and the fact that I was a human. They didn't understand a lot of what I said. So, as I told the story, I would pause often to explain things to the two of them. They both seemed greatly interested. Continually, the questioned what things I mentioned were (such as buses, roads, houses, a job, etc.). After that, I told them about my dream: the one that I had while on the mountainside.

"So the voice was the reason you were able to go on after all of that?" Astra asked me curiously.

I thought about it for a second, "Yes, I believe so. Though I'm not sure. I mean, something just kept me going. I don't know if it was inherently the voice that spoke to me."

"You really have no idea? After all of that climbing, you don't know why you climbed?" Blair sounded a bit agitated.

I replied a bit angrily, "No, I have no fucking clue! It felt as though I was in a daze, so I had no idea what the hell was going on!" I looked at my left hand, "The only thing that I do know for sure is that I have this weird marking on my hand now."

"What marking?" Astra was sounding curious once again.

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Blair's anger was no longer present.

I lifted my hand to show them the weird symbol in the center of my palm. "Once I made it to the top of the mountain, all these flowing ideas and thoughts entered my mind. After a few moments, my hand felt warm. When I looked down at it, there was this weird… whatever this is."

Astra took my hand in hers and looked at it carefully. Are all women's hands this small and delicate? "This looks oddly familiar. I think I've seen it somewhere before. I can't remember where."

"Wait, wait, just wait a second. You mean you recognize this thing?"

"Well, a little bit yes."

I responded, "That's good. That shows that there could be a real meaning behind it."

* * *

Blair stood up abruptly and began to stretch. "So, what is next? Do we go back to the island? Do we move on past the mountain? Any ideas at all?" I sat and thought for a moment. I looked into the distance; at the island. I couldn't see it, but it was somewhere out there. I looked in the opposite direction. Something else was out there; I need to find out what this symbol means. Something told me I needed to find something out there. There was more to be seen, more to be found. I still have not found the wise being. What if that was the voice in my dream? Maybe that's why I was so motivated. If so, I need to find him. It told me something about a seal? I need to find out what 'seal' meant.

"Well, I think I am going to go collect some more wood for the fire. It's looking a little low." I stood up and began to walk around.

Astra stood up, too, "Mind if I join you?"

I looked over at Blair; she was already out cold. "Well, I guess you could. If you really want to."

* * *

We walked, talked, and collected firewood for quite a while. Well, now that Astra knew who and what I was, she seemed much more talkative.

"What is life for the average human?" She asked me.

"Well, they wake up, go to work, go home, and fall asleep."

"Is that really all?"

I thought about it for a second, "Well, I guess they take breaks sometimes. Then again, they just sleep while on break. So, that is all. I mean, it's different for me, now."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I never enjoyed doing any of that. Well, not at heart, at least. I used to lie to myself and say I was content with life. The truth was, I kind of wasn't. Going to work every day, and coming back home, wasn't something that I liked doing. So, I secluded myself in the confines of my video games. It was a world away from my own; a chance to be something I wasn't. It was a chance to become more than just a normal person. It was my way of being somebody. Well, I thought it was. But, at the end of the day, I had to go back to being the regular human, Drew."

Astra jumped out in front of me, almost surprising me. "You're not just a 'normal human', Drew. You're more than that! What normal human has done anything like you? Who else would have survived a fall from such a height when you first came here?"

I shrugged and responded, "Well, that was a result of Blair's skill and my luck, more than anything."

"Yes, a result of YOUR luck, no one else's. Do you remember telling me about you saving the small Pokémon in the giant fissure? Who else, if anyone at all, would be that brave?" Her eyes shimmered with pride, "No other person could have the courage and will power you displayed when you threw both Blair and I over your shoulders and climbed this treacherous mountain? Who could do that? You don't even know!"

Astra was slowly filling me with pride. Then, in a swift motion, she hugged me and buried her face in my chest; all the wood I was carrying fell to the ground with a few muffled thuds. We sat there for a moment in silence. I heard her say something under her breath, though I couldn't hear it clear. "…with you." I heard the last part of what she said. If she said what I think she had, I'm not sure what to make of it.

* * *

EDT: I enjoyed writing this chapter, especially that last paragraph. I might be expanding on that a bit more from now on. **Also, the chapter name does have a meaning. Think of what a dwindling flame has the ability to become. (Actually, all of the chapter names relate to the chapter in some way shape or form. For example, the chapter "Adrift" means that they are literally floating in the ocean, but his emotions are also adrift. Get it? I should have explained that earlier. **_Actually, I was assuming that most people would catch it, but maybe not._ Okay, to address the lemons thing, it may or may not happen. I probably wouldn't write it, but hint at it. As in, something like a character going into another character's tent at night type of deal. See what I mean? I hope so. Anyways, please review so I get some sort of input. It helps me a whole lot. Really! I'm trying to make each chapter 1000 words, because I know it bothers people when there is only 700 words per chapter. I am trying though, so give me some credit. Have a good one!

EDT II: I write that edit for you guys. Don't frickin skip it.


	17. Heavy Rain

EDT: Yes, I am quite a bit off schedule. This last week was spent in Band Camp, and, before you ask, it sucked. My feet feel like they are bleeding, and my lips are swollen. However, I learned how to dance like a woman over the week, so it's not so bad, I guess. Anyways, here's your weekly dosage of fun.

* * *

I looked over at both Blair and Astra's relaxed faces. Effortlessly they slept through the peaceful night. Why couldn't I calm down and rest? Well, it's mainly because of Astra. She hugged me and held me so tightly to her. I can still feel the warmth of her body against mine, despite that being a few hours ago. I stood there, in her arms, absolutely useless. I was also greatly affected by what she had said. "No other person…" Her words chimed in my mind with the power of a perfect orchestral symphony. I grinned happily to myself. It made me happy to think about what she said. Behind her words, was something special, though. There was a deeper meaning. She didn't just speak from the mind, she spoke from her very soul. Both her eyes and words worked together with the utmost priority of displaying her emotions to me.

The moon shone a silver lighting onto one side of her face. She sat there perfectly still, with a content look on her face. Her black hair swayed gently as the wind blew. Looking at her closely, she is quite pretty. I wonder why I hadn't noticed before now.

No. No. Hell no. I stood up abruptly and walked away, constantly repeating the word in my head. I would never do something like that, nor would I even think about it. I'm a human. Humans are meant to be with humans, and nothing else. Being with a Pokémon is… it's like being with an animal, which is wrong. It's never been right before. No, it never will be right. Then, I thought of Astra. And what I had just said. I called her an animal. I called Blair an animal. No, they aren't animals, they're my friends: My closest friends. And I called them animals. Anger stirred inside of me. Anger aimed at me. I swung my right fist into a tree, hard enough the shake the leaves. Then my left. And my right again. I continued punching. I didn't stop. Everything went autonomous: right punch, left punch, and breathe. By the time I began to come back to my senses, the bark of the tree was covered in a thin layer of blood.

* * *

Morning came without event, and I was rested fully. The night was filled with many great dreams. Some of them were, as one would say, sexy. I reached my hands towards the sky in a lazy fashion to wake myself up. I looked around. Blair was sleeping, slouched over awkwardly as she usually is. But, Drew wasn't around. Maybe he woke up early? But, then again, where would he go? I slowly got up. There was a small trail of knocked down grass, so I decided to follow it. Drew probably wanted to go for a morning walk, or something like that.

After a few minutes of walking, I saw him. Drew was sitting down, not moving. His legs were crossed over each other. He sat up straight and confident. His hands were closed and placed on top of his knees. Everything grew deathly silent. The wind stopped moving about the tops of the trees. Leaves no longer fell every few moments. Branches didn't rub against each other. There was nothing. There was absolute tranquility. Drew began to shake, very slightly. Then, more violently. As he began to shake, noise slowly returned to the environment: piece by piece. Leaves began to move once again. There was a slight thud when he fell backwards. I rushed over to him, worriedly. Is he okay? How could he be such an idiot, to come out here without telling me? What was he doing? I lifted his hands and looked carefully at them. They were quite bloody and worn; the symbol on his hand was glowing vividly. What in the hell was he doing? My vision began to falter. I wiped the tears from my eyes. I amassed all the strength I had so I could lift him and bring him back to the camp. Silent and cold rain drops began to fall from the sky. I looked up; the clouds were dark. It was going to get quite stormy.

* * *

EDT: Yes, it was kind of short. Sorry about that, I tried. I am really drained after this week. I'll probably be updating this Monday or so. I have a feeling that next chapter is going to be intense. Also, to the guest that left a review, if I do write a sex scene, I'm going to WRITE a sex scene. None of the bullshit: "OH WE TOTALLY FUCKED." That's so disappointing. However, I'm still not sure if I will make one. I mean, what do you all think? As always, leave a review, and favorite it if you like!


	18. Flat, Simple Plains

It's been hours since Drew collapsed. Blair and I still have no idea what happened. We had finally begun our journey down the other side of the mountain. The weather was clear and we all felt good about the journey ahead. However, something strange happened as we reached the clearing in the valley below. Drew's head began to droop towards the ground, and he started speaking feverishly. Not a moment later, he collapsed into a lifeless heap on the ground. At first we thought he was sick, but he showed no signs of a fever. We asked ourselves if he was just tired, but his heart rate was quite fast. We put him into a comfortable position, and began to make camp. We needed to make a fire.

* * *

Astra sat quietly on the other side of the fire. She looked downward and showed hardly any emotion but sadness. She kind of pissed me off. Why was she so close to Drew? I was his original friend, so why in the hell should she be closer to him? It just doesn't make sense to me. Perhaps Drew just doesn't like me? I should try to be more feminine. Should I have to change for him? No, right? I'm not quite sure.

* * *

The two of them eventually went to sleep, and watching Drew for hours on end; just so they could see the occasional tensing of muscles in his face. However, before they went to sleep, they noted the strange symbol on his hand one last time.

* * *

There is a long, dark hallway. There appears to be a white door at the end of it. As I approached it, the lights on the wall began to shine. This gave the room an eerie glow. The carpeting on the floor was very descriptive, and violent. Scenes of small children having the extremities devoured by gruesome and evil wolves, parents throwing their children off of bridges, the blood of the innocent being drank by the wealthy and greedy, etc. The scenes were never constant; they rapidly changed into other forms of violent depictions. The door was close enough that I could see its age. The door's paint was beginning to fade and peel, and there was numerous chunks missing from the door. I heard something fall to the ground behind the door.

Upon opening the door, I saw someone lying in the bath tub. He had an indescribable face, and appeared to be crying. The thick hair fell over his face. Who is this?

* * *

I woke up gasping for air. I looked around, and saw Astra asleep on the other side of the dwindling fire. However, Blair was not asleep. She was awake, lying right next to me. Her face was filled with fear and anxiety. I looked into her eyes. They shone with an awe-inspiring beauty. I couldn't help but stare into them, and she looked away embarrassedly. "I… I was worried about you."

I put my arms around her, and pressed her head into my chest, "Do not worry, I was fine. I will always be fine." Her breathing became less erratic, and she calmed down. I closed my eyes and rested there for a few minutes. In that silent moment, I felt the warmth of her lips against mine.

* * *

I'm glad that Drew was finally awake again. But, something is bothering me. I think something happened between him and Blair. Drew continues to simply walk on the far right of me, while whistling and watching the ground. On the other hand, Blair is on the far left of me, walking nonchalantly with a stupid grin on her face. Then there's me: the person in the middle that has no clue what the hell is going on.

The environment around us changed gradually as we marched on. The sun began to finally shine with its full intensity, and the temperature finally rose to its normal range, if not higher. We met a few Pokémon here and there, none of which knew about the wise being. The sky was completely clear, and not a single cloud could be seen on the horizon. The hills gradually became flatter, and trees were scarce things. Soon enough, we stopped to make camp. This time, Blair and I went to gather firewood instead of Drew and one of us. Mainly because we think he needs to rest after what happened; but also because I'm calling Blair out.

"So, did anything happen between the two of you?" I asked her.

She grew flustered and responded, "What!? No! Of course not!"

"Oh really? That's nice to hear." I replied, "Well, I know you're lying."

"…we only kissed." I grew slightly angry at this remark, and also jealous.

"Only kissed!?" Okay, I was a lot more jealous than I thought.

"Well, yeah! Isn't it normal to kiss the person you…" She cut herself off, and we sat there a few moments in silence.

"Look," I finally spoke, "How about we have fair competition for Drew? Alright?"

"…Fine, but don't expect me to lose that easily."

* * *

EDT: I know. Lips, beak, whatever. Leave Reviews, all that jazz. Also, this last week has been chaotic as fuck. I went to Florida unexpectedly. Anyways, that's my reason for no chapters recently. Anyways, you all have a good one! Also, it would really help me if you told any of your friends about this. Well, ones that are into this kind of stuff. You don't have to, but if you can… you get the idea.


	19. Burning Desert

This wise being is the most elusive thing I have ever come across. I've only seen him once, as a silhouette displayed through the likeness of a key hole. Who was it? There was a definite aura of knowledge and power surrounding the silhouette, but who could it be? This was a world of infinite questions, with only so many answers.

The climate seems to become noticeable more arid as we progress further on. The Pokémon around us are also changing. The sky no longer shows its commonplace deep blue, but a much lighter cyan. The back of my throat lightly stings whenever I breathe in. The air around us seems to have a much different taste than before. Eventually, the flora seems to die out, and the grass is replaced by sand. The only plant life left is the occasional cactus here and there. Bright rays from the Sun were no longer comforting and relieving, but brought scorching temperatures to us.

Blair and Astra seem to be weary; walking under the desert sun expels more than enough energy, not to mention when there is no water to be found. Astra's eyes changed from their usual bright blue to more of a light gray, and Blair's posture has drastically changed from a powerful, upright position to more of a slouched one. Each time I'd ask them, "Are you two alright?" They'd simply respond somewhere along the lines: "Of course!" or "No problem." Albeit these statements were reassuring, the fatigue could easily be depicted in their fake up-beat tones. I eventually found myself watching the two of them. With each step, it looked as though Astra would collapse; however, she would always catch herself and keep on moving forward. It told me something about her. She had passion. That was the thing that kept her moving. But, what was she so passionate about? While Blair, on the other hand, never even faltered while trudging on. She took each step with a certain grace and beauty; each step following a perfect timed interval. I was curious as to whether she was aware of how she walked? Perhaps she was. I've never seen anybody walk with his or her back perfectly straight and chest protruding so confidently.

Then, I saw myself. How could I see? Perhaps this desert heat was getting to my head. But, then again, I also saw Blair and Astra. They were both walking exactly as before. I looked at myself. I appeared to lean forward as I marched onward. My steps were not perfect. In fact, they seemed to be completely unrelated to one another, as they just tried to do what they have to. But, my eyes were the interesting thing. There was a fierce look in them. It showed power, strength, and confidence. They also portrayed happiness, satisfaction, and relaxation. But, there was also isolation, trepidation, and anticipation. I saw all three of these attributes at once, while seeing absolutely none of them. However, I did perceive one look on my face. One that was always prominent. One that could never be overlooked. It was the look of curiosity. Interest in the world around. Amazement at the sights around me. Wonder in the world that I am. It was a new expression that I had never shown before. Nothing had ever pushed me to observe the world around. It was such a new and magnificent world that I found myself in. I looked down at my right hand. There was a familiar sensation. The warmth of a thousand suns in the palm of my right hand. There was another insignia in the making. It shone brightly before changing back into a minutely glowing white. It seemed to resemble something of an eye. Everything suddenly went dark. I hear someone's voice.

* * *

Nobody had talked for a while, so the sudden noise from behind Blair and I shocked us. We both turned to see what it had come from. The noise was a sudden shift in the air. The atmosphere around Drew began to circulate around him. It created a sphere, which pushed us back but pulled the sand in. He was slowly surrounded in a strange sphere of wind and sand. The speed of the airstream seemed to exponentially increase in a short amount of time. We both began to yell, "Drew! What's going on?" He never responded. Then, in a split-second, it all stopped. The sand fell back to the ground grain by grain, and the air returned to normal. At first, he stood there looking at his hand as it radiated brilliantly, then he fell to the ground abruptly as its glowing died down. We both rushed over to his body. He still had somewhat of a pulse. I couldn't help but keep on saying his name. "Drew! Drew! Drew? Drew. Drew…" I never seemed to stop. I noticed that the sun was setting way in the distance of this never-ending desert.

Drew was still asleep after collapsing earlier. What happened with that vortex-like thing? I'm not even remotely sure. Blair was already asleep, as usual. It seems to be so easy for her to doze off, despite what happens that day. I wasn't sure if it was a result of her ignorance, or just plain skill. The temperature seems to have severely dropped since sunset. What most don't know is that the desert are freezing cold at night while being blazing hot during the day, so it makes everything worse. There was the occasional wind that rolled across the shallow dunes. Each one brought with it a freezing chill that traveled from my feet all the way to my head and caused all the bones in my body to quake. I looked over at Drew. He rested so peacefully, despite the temperature. I looked around slyly, specifically at Blair. Then, I decided to sneak on over to Drew and lie down next to him. He was still immensely warm despite the conditions out here. I looked at him closely. I put my hand on his stomach. The heat travelled through my hand up my arm. It felt amazing having my small delicate hand embrace his firm stomach. I held myself against him, in an effort to heat up. It was also quite stimulating, being next to him like this. Eventually, I fell asleep right then and there.

* * *

I am finally back! Anyways, I was on a bit of a hiatus on there for a while, everyone. Sorry about that, it can happen. My schedule was so goddamned full. Anyways, please review and all that good stuff. Also, I've realized that I don't do character to character talking that often, but I don't think I need it that much. This story, as it stands, is more about the interaction more than the talking itself. Oh, and don't worry, those seals will do something, you just wait! Also, I did try to write a longer chapter this time.


	20. Deep Ocean

When I woke up, I couldn't help but stare at the symbols on my hands. Whenever I stared at the one on the palm of my left hand, my mind would melt away into a vast ocean. The ocean was seemingly endless and uniform, except for the slight wave that would dissolve back into the deep blue abyss. I stared more intensely into the symbol. I could see myself falling from the sea of clouds. They churned silently among themselves as I fell backwards. The decreased dramatically in size, until they became difficult to see through the blue waters. All the muscles in body remained tranquil as I sunk further into the darkness. It became increasingly difficult to see. Soon enough, I could no longer see the faint lighting that shone from the surface of the water. I stretched my arms towards the surface, though I couldn't see a thing.

A great light emerged from the insignia on my left hand. It didn't pain my eyes to look at it. Instead of being a direct light, it simply flooded everything around me with a constant glow. I found myself standing on a clear platform, the darkness infinite underneath me. But, I saw a gleaming in the darkness. Directly below me, things began to be revealed. Small buildings and structures radiated subtly through the water. As I watched closely, the radius of the glow increased. More and more building began to appear throughout the water. It seemed as they appeared farther than me, they became drastically nicer. Off in the distance, there were gigantic spires that blazed with a brilliant and golden luminosity.

I looked back towards the surface of the water. Directly above, a single star shone dimly. It began to grow in size, gradually. After a certain point, it shrunk to nothing without warning. Then, it burst with all of the force in the universe collectively and flooded the sky with countless amounts of bright little lights to compliment the magnificent city directly underneath of it all. I could feel my eyes becoming watery. Or maybe it was because of the water surrounding my body like a calming shroud of darkness. In fact, I had not realized that I was still underneath the ocean until a gigantic fish swam swiftly past my head. The radiant green glow reflected from the bottom of the fish, back down to the city, giving it a similar, but unique lighting. After the first initial fish appeared, it was followed by thousands of others. Each of the fish traveled uniformly among others, giving the city a whole new lighting.

However, the fish all began to dim gradually, as did the city. Everything slowed down as the radiance left the beautiful city. I looked around, and everything before me disappeared. But, one thing began to shine again. It was a fish, shining like all of the others once had. Rather than a dull-green glow, it shined with a neon-like blue. The light pierced the water intensely as it traveled into my eyes. What made that fish so damned special? Then, it dissipated in a instant.

* * *

"What's Drew doing?" Asked Astra, who continued to stare at him relentlessly.

I shrugged. "Who knows? I've learned to just leave him alone at this point." Although I said that, it did concern me a bit. He had been sitting there for quite a while, just staring into the symbols that were imprinted into his palms. Drew made absolutely no sounds, except for his faint breathing that could hardly be differed from the blowing of the sand across the dunes.

"Come on, Blair. You know just as well as I do that you're worried about him. Come one, be honest."

I turned my head away from her.

* * *

Reality snapped back instantly, and something was different. I looked around, but wasn't sure what had changed. Then, I saw it. In the air, there were energies flowing to and fro. They moved around in subtle patterns. Each had its own distinct characteristics. The ocean's power flowed like a wave in hues of blue and green, back towards the ocean from which it came. The power of fire irradiated above all the others, moving much like a flame, and of the same color, being pushed by the wind. Nature's energy was displayed in a brilliant green and it crawled along the ground, mush like a slowly growing vine. The strength of the wind was the most prevalent of the four. It surrounded everything and simply flowed around whatever was in its way. It didn't have a fancy color, but it showed in a very light grey. I think I can hear someone calling. "Drew?"

* * *

"Drew! What's up?" He stood there looking around. His eyes had changed from their usual light brown to a odd light magenta. "Blair, do you know anything about this happening before?"

"No? I mean, he never did anything like this before those weird-ass markings."

I grabbed him by his shoulders and shook him violently, "Drew! Can you hear me?" His eyes slowly faded back to brown. He responded sleepily, "What?" I let go of him, "Never mind, I guess. What was that all about?"

Drew responded, "I know which way to go!" He began walking confidently towards the direction he had pointed.

"Uh, Drew? How do you know? I mean, not that I doubt you or anything."

Blair chimed in, "Yeah, you stood there awkwardly for a few moments, then just woke up and said which way to go. That sounds a bit ridiculous."

He turned back to us, while continuing to walk backwards, and said, "Look, I know what I am doing," He pointed to the insignia on his right hand, the eye, "I can finally see."

Sure enough, He was telling the truth. Before high noon, there were signs of a greener biome on the horizon. We had hardly walked for three hours before we left the desert. We asked some of the first Pokémon we saw about the desert. They said that it stretched for miles to the east (which was the way we were originally going). So, Drew's decision to change course actually saved all of us. Once we came along a nice little pond, it was like heaven. None of us had any water for at least two days, not including cactus milk.

* * *

"Hey! Why don't we get into the water?" I asked the other two cheerfully.

"Why? Do you want to…?" Astra's words were cut off almost instantly by the sound of my splash into the serene water. Everything underneath of it was crystal clear, and the pond was only about four-and-a-half feet deep. That was when I realized the error in my action. I had taken off all of my clothes in an instant and jumped into the pond that was crystal clear. Oh well, the other two probably won't even get in—

"Cannonball!" Blair splashed brutally into the pond water, creating a wake of destruction throughout the water. Her display was compliment by the entry of Astra into the pool. God damn it.

* * *

EDT: This chapter was actually really fun to write. I enjoyed, and hopefully you will to! (My favorite things to write are psychedelic dreams with alternate meanings) I'm starting to write longer chapters to make up for the lack of updates lately. My schedule is so god damned busy. Anyways, leave a review; tell your friends, all that jazz. Thanks for it all, and have a good day/night/whatever!

For those of you who like to interpret things: The dream had a much deeper meaning. I'm sure you may have realized that. But, here's some help, that one glowing fish represents someone. The rest can be taken almost anyway.


	21. Shaky Cosmos

So, while Blair and Astra splashed and played with each other joyfully, I did my best to keep my distance. Each time they'd look towards me, I could feel a bone-chilling wind glide up from my groin to my chest. I'd look away nonchalantly, and try my best to act natural. Of course, this never worked as the other two continued giving each other these awkward stares. Whenever they moved from one end of the pond to the other, I would slither to the opposite, never raising my chin so much as an inch above the surface of the water. I caught a glimpse of my reflection on the surface of the sparkling water. But was it really me? My face showed greater amounts of sun exposure than I had remembered myself having. Another difference was my expression, despite the worried look on my face (I completely hate being seen naked), and I had an overall happy face. So many things had changed to me. I still don't understand why. What did I do that caused all of this? It didn't seem like mere chance would be the ruler when it came to this incredible change.

"No, it wasn't pure chance."

"Who said that?" I looked around, but only saw Blair and Astra in the pond with me. They seemed taken aback by my question. "Who said what?" Blair asked, as Astra reinforced her question, "Yeah, we didn't say anything."

"There was a reason. Perhaps you won't understand at the moment." My mind grew weary and felt as if it were being torn into tiny fragments of memories and lost time. "In fact, you aren't even at the level full comprehension yet. Actually…" Something appeared in front of me, there was a hue of light blue that was visible everywhere I looked, almost like a crystallized haze. "You aren't even able to fully see me. I should probably be going, now. Before I completely destroy you mind. We will meet again, soon enough. That is, once you obtain all 4 of the marks."

"What marks!? What the fuck are you talking about!?" The being's face became more visible. There was an expression of great confusion on it. "Wait, you don't know about the marks? Shouldn't Ismene have told you? Wait a second..." The being appeared to look around frantically. "Where is she?"

"Who?!" My mind was overcome by the sweet, lavender darkness.

* * *

Bishop walked back and forth amongst the chaotic clouds. His jagged feet left a electrical spark in his wake, and it bounced around uncontrollably. "I was sure that I sent Ismene to guide him. It was all supposed to be according to plan. He was to save this poor and misshapen aftermath of the Earth from the meteor." His body detached itself from the skyline and drifted into the cold depths of space. He watched the orbits of the planetary systems. Every day, he came out here to think. But, once he spotted the 'glitch' in the path of the Earth, he can't help but worry. He never watched close enough to tell what had changed the trajectory. But, what he did notice was the meteor heading for the helpless planet. The medication in the path needed to be undone, otherwise earth would be destroyed. He looked outward, to the cosmos, and looked into the fiery eyes of the destructor. Every day, it grew closer, and he sat there worthlessly.

This was the reason for bringing Drew into this world. Bishop knew he could save the world. Drew needed to collect the 4 Marks, and reach the pinnacle of the world. Now he knew what took Drew so long. The guide he had sent, Ismene, had gone completely in the wrong path. This was, more or less, his fault; he pointed her in the wrong direction to begin with, and he never chose to check up on her. So, he went to find her.

* * *

"Where am I?" Ismene said in her damp voice. "Bishop told me the savior would be this way, but, that was a few months ago. Perhaps I didn't get there in time." She sighed heavily."

"Err, no. That's not what happened." His electronic and omniscient voice startled her. "It seems that I… miscalculated the direction you need to go in… and that I may have forgotten to tell you."

Ismene sat there silently for a few moments before responding, "Are you kidding me!? You don't bother to check on me for months and, when you do, it's to tell me you were wrong! Do you have any idea how much fucking walking I've been doing! Well, where the hell is he now?"

From Bishop's hand grew a large screen that resembled a map. "Do you see this point? That's you." He pointed to green and white icon resembling an I, "This one over here is him." She noted the red and white icon resembling a D.

"So, how far is that?"

"Umm, about 13 miles; give or take."

"And which way is he?"

Bishop aimed in the correct direction. "That way."

Ismene looked at him skeptically. "You're sure about that?"

"Completely."

"Well then, I'll get going. Leave me be."

Bishop responded almost sarcastically, "As you wish…"

Ismene looked up into the evening sky as he disappeared among the clouds in a dramatic dispersion of light. She looked in the direction that he had indicated. If she walked all night, she could make it to the savior before morning light. So, that's what she decided to do. As she started walking on the freezing sands of the desert, she knew this would be a rough night.

* * *

EDT: Once again, another week, another chapter! I added to new signifigant characters this time around! Also, there is no religious theme intended. Bishop happened to mean overseer, alright? Anyways, I hope you all have a wonderful day/night/week/month/whatever. Please reviews, favorite, follow, message me (if you really want to, I'm always open to questions and comments) , or do whatever you want.


	22. Starlight

The sky changed to night as I traversed the oceanic plains with assistance from a Wailord. The skies weren't cloudy, but they bore a haze that gave the night a certain gloomy emotion. That tone just highlighted my feelings: sad and lonely. I guess there is no reason for me to be sad. I mean, I've spent much of my life traveling, so I've met countless Pokémon. Every time I talk to others, it always leads to the same topic. Why do you travel so much? What all have you seen? What's the world like? How it must be beautiful, wouldn't you say, Ismene? And each time I answer that last question, I don a fake smile and reply, "You could say that." I mean, that wasn't a lie, but you couldn't call it a half-truth. What was there about the world that was so appealing to everyone? The sights are all the same! A waterfall is no different than the weakest drop-off of the smallest river, no matter which waterfall that is. If you've seen one ocean, you've seen them all. Above the water, you burn in the heat of the sun and it's exhausting; beneath the surface, water claustrophobically surrounds you and its temperatures freeze you.

These thoughts were pushed to the back of my mind. I took note of the position of the stars. I'd approximate that I'd arrive at their camp in about an hour and a half. The moon said the sun would be rising in about two. As I was still lying down, I rolled over to my bag and opened it. There was still a fair amount of assorted fruits inside of it. Well, not that I needed that much. I only ate a few in a day, and we'd be making landfall very soon. Having nothing else to worry about, I let my mind wander. Who was this Drew character? I'm not sure, probably something heroic looking. He's supposed to save our world, correct? So, why would he be some nerdy looking dude? Speaking of that, what do humans even look like? Bishop doesn't have a knack for explaining things easily, I guess. It doesn't exactly matter. My only job is to guide him: nothing more, nothing less. I pulled my hair into a pony tail and left it to drift down from one shoulder. Landfall was fast approaching.

* * *

"So, Drew, what did you do to occupy yourself back home?" Astra asked.

I thought about for a small moment as I gazed into the starlight. "Not much. I mean, coming to this world was the first time I've been social in years. Once I began to look for work, I noticed there was an up-and-coming company: Trust. Since they would need a good IT staff to help with computers, I applied for a job there. Apparently, there were no other applicants. They called me the very next day, offering me the job. It was very stressful. If I remember correctly, it was about 84 hours of work per week. I woke up at 7, got to work at 8, had lunch at 12 (which I normally skipped), left work at 8, and fell asleep at 9. This was pretty much every day for me. There was no time for anything. Every day, there were endless hours of worker monotony. 'Oh, please help my computer! I can't turn it on!'; 'Someone stole my mouse!'; 'I'm not sure why, but there's so much porn (stop letting your damn teenagers on the thing!) on my computer!' I heard every single problem in the book at least twice per week. None of the other employees really talked to me, either. Though I always heard them talking. 'Hey, look, it's that IT guy.' 'Do you think he ever does anything but work?' That was all they could talk about for the first couple of weeks. People would say hi to me every so often, but they were met with a cold gaze. Never could I look at them normally. Soon enough, they began to spread rumors. 'Why do you think he's so angry all the time?' 'Perhaps he's a murderer.' 'Maybe he has the bluest balls possible' 'What if he's one of those "furries" we all see on the internet.' But, I just ignored them. There was only one tolerable person that came along.

"Her name was Karen, and she began working as a Receptionist not long after I was hired. She was the first person to engage me in conversation normally. She was incredibly nice to me. Every morning, she left a freshly made cup of coffee on my desk. I never realized that she was completely into me until the last few weeks of being there. That was mainly due to the others teasing me. She was most likely the reason that I started to break out of my shell. Well, I guess "that me" was just a fake. I only joined in so I wouldn't be judged by others. I knew that she liked me, and I pretended to like her back. But none of that was real. I spent a lot of my days wanting to go home. But, then again, even that home was forged."

Blair spoke up, "Wait, you weren't a social person? How?! I mean, you showed up to the island and you became friends with most of the Pokémon there! They all truly liked you, and you talked to them. Was that all an act as well?"

"Actually, no." I responded subtly, "This world was different to me. It was more of an adventure. No longer was my life a joyless repetition of weeks merely marked by the silence of the people around me. I met all of you, as well. Maybe it was meeting you, Blair, which changed me for the better. "

* * *

Yeah, I've been busy as all hell lately. So I just got around to updating. Hopefully you guys enjoy the chapter! Please favorite, follow, leave a review, or whatever. Have a great day/night/whatever.


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